Thales and Schiebel Unveil Joint Uncrewed Air System (UAS) Solution for International Navies

Thales and Schiebel Unveil Joint Uncrewed Air System (UAS) Solution for International Navies ©Schiebel

(IN BRIEF) Thales and Schiebel are partnering to provide a solution for international navies to defend against hostile platforms in congested maritime environments. Thales will act as lead systems integrator, while Schiebel provides its CAMCOPTER® S-100 uncrewed air system. The S-100 will be equipped with Thales I-Master radar and electro-optical/infrared sensors for target detection and identification. The partnership will bring 30 years of experience in unmanned aerial system (UAS) design and integration. The solution will provide real-time high-definition imagery and radar data for the ship’s crew.

(PRESS RELEASE) PARIS, 10-Feb-2023 — /EuropaWire/ —  Thales (EPA: HO), a French multinational company active in the aerospace, defence, transportation and security markets, is proud to announce its role as lead systems integrator in a program aimed at protecting international navies from threats in congested maritime environments. With a focus on providing additional protection to ships and their crew, the program brings together the expertise and capabilities of Thales and Schiebel.

Schiebel will contribute its CAMCOPTER® S-100, a highly-effective uncrewed air system with over 100,000 operating hours in demanding environments. The S-100’s advanced sensors and CarteNav AIMS Mission System allow for quick detection and identification of unknown targets. Thales will integrate its I-Master radar, capable of operating in Synthetic Aperture Radar and Maritime Moving Target Indication modes, with an electro-optical/infrared sensor for target identification.

The real-time dissemination of high-definition imagery and radar data through the host ship’s Combat Management System provides the operator with a complete picture of the situation and enables multiple users to access the information. With over 30 years of experience in UAS design and integration, this partnership brings a proven track record of delivering effective and trusted solutions.

This combination of expertise and technology will allow international navies to respond quickly and effectively to any threats they may face in congested maritime environments, providing additional safety and security for their ships and crew.

Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group, said: “We are immensely proud that the CAMCOPTER^® S-100 is the UK Ministry of Defence’s choice for its prestigious Peregrine programme. The S-100 is the optimal UAS for a growing number of Navies worldwide and has proven its superiority and outstanding capabilities throughout its numerous operational deployments.”

Alex Cresswell, CEO of Thales in the UK, said: “This is a significant milestone for the Royal Navy as it is an immediate enhancement to its operational capability, but it also supports their strategic transition to uncrewed technology in line with their Future Maritime Aviation Force strategy. I am pleased that our long tradition of supporting the Royal Navy’s ‘eyes and ears’ situational awareness capability continues with this latest contract.”

Notes to editors

Schiebel

The S-100 has been delivering mission success for multiple customers around the world at sea and on land, by day and night and in adverse weather conditions. Over the last 15 years the Schiebel CAMCOPTER^®S-100 rotary wing UAS has seen operation with over 25 customers and in the maritime domain has completed over 2,000 deck landings onto a wide variety of single-spot sea-going vessels.

Thales

I-Master is in use with a number of customers around the world, including the British Army’s Watchkeeper TUAS. It gained its sea leg capabilities back in 2014 with the inclusion of enhanced Maritime Modes, comprehensively proving them during the Royal Navy’s Unmanned Warrior exercise in 2016

CarteNav

CarteNav will provide the flexible AIMS-ISR mission system software to provide multi-sensor integration, planning, collection and dissemination.

Additional information:

Schiebel and Thales in groundbreaking anti-submarine warfare exercise

Schiebel, and Thales also recently supported the Royal Navy with an uncrewed anti-submarine warfare capability in the exercises REPMUS (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping using Maritime Uncrewed Systems) in Portugal. Together, we successfully demonstrated the CAMCOPTER® S-100 and its Anti-Submarine Warfare, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance and cargo delivery capabilities. The demonstrated scenario was the surveillance of the approaches to a strategic port. The S-100, equipped with a Wescam MX-8 EO/IR sensor in the nose and a Thales data relay payload, was deployed to monitor the transmission of data from the sonobuoys and relayed it to the command centre ashore, permitting the detection and classification of possible enemy submarines.

Media contact
Camille Heck, Thales, Media Relations Land & Naval Defence
+33 (0)6 73 78 33 63 camille.heck@thalesgroup.com

UK Press Contact Naval Adrian Rondel
+44 7971 414052 adrian.rondel@uk.thalesgroup.com

SOURCE: Thales